The invention relates to a device for holding a fishing rod and a lantern or other utility implement so as to prevent removal of the fishing rod unless the fishing rod is tilted at a backward angle and pulled outwardly at the same time. The resulting action duplicates the natural motion that is necessary to set a hook in the mouth of a fish while keeping the fishing line tight.
Prior devices have been developed for holding fishing rods such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,992,505 and 2,513,475, wherein a base member holds a removable coupling member to which the fishing rod is attached. To remove the fishing rod from the base member, it is necessary to either raise the fishing rod straight up vertically or pull the fishing rod in a straight backward motion. Neither motion corresponds to the natural motion for setting the hook in the mouth of the fish. It is also possible with either motion that slack may occur in the fishing line with the possible result that the hook will come out of the mouth of the fish or that when the hook is set, the line will break due to the slack.
Another fishing rod holder is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,542,253 wherein a C-ring is clamped to the side of a boat and a hook member made integral with the handle of the fishing rod is inserted into a pair of slots formed in the C-ring. Due to the arcuate shape of the hook member, the fishing rod will tilt upwardly when the line is pulled by a fish. The handle of the fishing rod cannot be removed from the rod holder until the rod is tiled upwardly at a substantial angle which is the proper angle for reeling in the fish. While the fishing rod must be tilted upwardly to remove it from the C-ring holder, it cannot be pulled straight backwardly to take the slack out of the line until the hook member has cleared the holder. Therefore, it is possible that in tilting the rod upwardly to remove it from the holder, the hook will not become set in the fish's mouth or slack in the line might cause the line to break when the hook is set.